News

CPNW NEWSLETTER – JANUARY 2023

Date posted: January 19, 2023

Dear Neighbours,

We seem to have had a relatively quiet November and December on the crime front. This is exceptional for the “Christmas shopping” season, and is certainly impressive compared to other areas!

However, it is very concerning that we tend to get information about the incidents that do occur in our area in dribs and drabs, often indirectly and well after the event has taken place. This hampers our awareness of the status of crime in our neighbourhood, and also compromises our ability to respond quickly and directly, which is critical in putting a stop to it!

Incidents

Incidents we have recently become aware of include the following:

• Friday 23 December; Cardinal Close, Overnight: Property entered after gate chain was broken. Gas bottle and telescope stolen from an outbuilding.
• Friday 30 December; Oak Avenue, Overnight: Dustbin stolen.
• Thursday 12 January: Oak Avenue, Overnight: Window broken by sharp object (found nearby) in apparent break-in, unsuccessful due to security shutters.
• Thursday 12 January: Avondrust Lane, Overnight: Clothes stolen from wash line; laptop and 2 Kindles stolen from outbuilding. Some items of laundry retrieved in Cardinal Close.
• Thursday 12 January: Cardinal Close, Overnight: Bicycle stolen from property after chain broken with a bolt-cutter, sheets discarded by perpetrator.

We are also aware of three occasions during the small hours when individuals were spotted on camera wandering through the streets without good reason and were then escorted out of the area. Nevertheless, our street cameras did not capture the presence of the intruders on the nights listed above.

This suggests that alternative routes into the area are being taken to avoid the existing cameras. We have placed additional cameras accordingly. Although this type of crime is relatively small scale and non-confrontational at this point, we note in these cases an escalation in frequency, scale, and invasiveness. It is also generally accepted that as smaller crimes increase in frequency in an area, they soon evolve into more serious and violent crimes.

Teamwork

For this reason, it is critical that we all act urgently to tighten up the safety of our area.

In the first instance, this relies on our ability to communicate and disseminate information rapidly. With efficient use of the resources already at our disposal, we can easily alert everyone in the area within minutes of a criminal act. If even half the lights in the vicinity were switched on shortly after such an act was detected, and several cars were suddenly patrolling the streets, the deterrent effect would be powerful.

Less dramatically, just knowing about the risk situation in our community at any time gives us all the chance to make small adaptations to improve our security. There are often things we procrastinate over, deprioritise in our budgeting, or simply get slack about. So, knowing immediately about a new crime risk in the area is important for everyone. We therefore appeal to everyone to immediately communicate any incident of crime or evidence of attempted crime.

Community Connector Groups

Ideally, all incidents should be reported on the CPNW website. Alerting one’s close neighbours via a Community Connector Group is also an excellent immediate alert system. This provides communication to the CPNW committee via the Connector Rep and wider dissemination if necessary. If you are not yet part of a Connector Group, please speak to your neighbours and contact Lynne lchogan15@gmail.com for assistance on how to set one up!

Radios

A more immediate means of obtaining help is of course the radio network. Sadly, we don’t hear much activity from most of the 180-odd radio users in our neighbourhood. If you do have a radio, please make sure it’s working by participating in the radio check-ins!!

Finally, we encourage anyone who has been the victim of any crime in the area to report it to SAPS. This is important because the resourcing of SAPS stations at National and Provincial level are based on crime stats, and locally it affects the amount of patrol time devoted to our area.

Bin Days

We were also made aware, on the morning of Friday 13 January, of a group of men wearing balaclavas thought to be acting suspiciously while ostensibly looking through bins. The same day a Fiat Palio was noticed circling around the avenues. In both cases patrol vehicles went to investigate but were not able to find the individuals of concern. We are grateful for the reporting of any kind of suspicious activity and we need to take note of any such possible “surveillance” in the area as a potential prelude to more serious crime.

Thursday nights and Friday mornings are, of course, a particularly vulnerable time in our area because of garbage collection. We would again urge everyone, wherever possible, to only put out bins in the mornings, to avoid attracting too many people into the area at night! Individuals were also reported to be “camping out” at the beach on Thursday 12 and Friday 13 January. Later inspection revealed a pile of rubbish (now in the whale) that had clearly been picked from bins, but no signs of any encampment. We have alerted SANParks to this matter.

Quad Bikes

We were also made aware of concerns about youths riding quad bikes in the dunes and wetlands over the last week or two. We are glad to report that when the matter was raised on a Connector Group, the owner of the quad bikes immediately came forward. He had not been aware that they were being used in this manner while he was at work. He responded by dealing with the boys involved accordingly and expressed sincere apologies to the community.

Urgent!  Check your Fire Hydrants

Where’s the hydrant?!  Not much use if the Fire Fighters have to dig up your flower bed to get to the hydrant!

In related environmental matters, we note that we are now in the height of the fire season, with high winds and bone-dry vegetation. There have also been a concerning number of set fires across the valley from us, and concerns have been raised that there is an arsonist at large.

This is a good time to ensure that there is no dead vegetation around your house, that your gutters are free of debris and that the hydrant in your road is accessible and working! In the event of a fire, the numbers to call are: 107 from a cell phone or 021 480 7700. The general emergency number from a cell phone is 112.

Here’s to 2023!

As the CPNW Committee we are looking forward to 2023 as another year of growth. We are hugely grateful to those who have recently volunteered to work with us, some of whom are already taking on tasks. We will be contacting others in due course and hope a few more will step forward to join us! It is hard not to be anxious about our future in South Africa at this time and we would be foolish not to prepare for any eventuality.

However, the wonderful way our community has developed over the past 20 years is a testament to how good we can make our lives when people pull together. And if ever there was a time to pull together, that time is now!

Wishing everyone a safe and secure 2023!

The CPNW Committee

CPNW AGM 2022 – CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Date posted: December 12, 2022

The Annual General Meeting was held at the Community Centre on 21 November, 2022.

The Chairman’s report may be found in prose here:

CPNW AMG Chairmans Report

And in the form of a presentation here:

CPNW_AGM_2022

Re-Imagining a Neighbourhood Watch – An Appeal to Community

Date posted: October 28, 2022

Back in 2006, crime in this neighbourhood had been steadily increasing for some time and seemed to be spiraling out of control. It was clear that policing services were hopelessly inadequate and that the socio-economic drivers of crime were not about to be resolved. This community had been seeing considerable growth, with many new residents, and with a few exceptions, community organisations were poorly supported, and struggling.

A few concerned individuals finally took it upon themselves to canvass door-to-door, and it was in a conversation at my gatepost that I found myself challenged to get involved in doing something about our neighbourhood, if I really did want my children growing up in a safe and healthy environment.

It was not an easy, or a natural step to take. If anything, I had habitually seen myself as an outsider, cynical about mainstream society, and particularly about those I perceived as do-gooders and busybodies interfering with my privacy! I also had a perception of “neighbourhood watch types” as being wannabe Rambos, nostalgic for the bad old days. The brave and determined soul who had come to my gate, however, was nothing like that and he put it quite bluntly: If I knew crime was a problem but wasn’t prepared to make any effort, why should anyone else?

Community First

So I went along to a meeting, and when we realised the whole initiative would be dead in the water unless someone became chairperson, I put up my hand. What we did agree though, was that this would be about COMMUNITY first.

What this meant, was that we would develop safety and security in our neighbourhood by improving how we function as a community, and by making participation in, and support for efforts to do this, as accessible and sustainable as possible. We limited our area of responsibility to purely the Chapmans Peak Village, we developed connected groups of local neighbours who could look out for each other, and we placed emphasis on maximising membership numbers, so everyone was connected, over any requirement for funding or participation.

We quickly learned that the number of individuals prepared to go out on patrols is relatively limited, and soon exhausted, but many more were prepared to make financial, or other contributions, as long as we could justify it.

Strategies

Thus, our key strategies have involved the development of systemic and community-focussed approaches, emphasising both safety and security, and have included the following:

• The development of collective bargaining processes, resulting in service-level agreements with security companies, that ensure minimum standards and the constant presence of dedicated vehicles in the area.
• Licence Plate Recognition Cameras linked to a regional network, that identifies suspect vehicles, and alerts user networks to their presence.
• A steadily growing system of analytic cameras that identify the presence of suspicious intruders.
• Small local WhatsApp groups to link direct neighbours, with representatives linked to a central coordinator.
• A network of handheld radio users that at its height included more than half of all households.
• A Response Team of volunteers who can be rapidly activated, to cover entry and exit points as well as provide support to SAPS and security officers.
• Tracking capabilities involving specialised expertise as well as trained tracking dogs.
• Liaison with SAPS and CPF bodies.
• Collaboration with, and support for other community organisations.
• The organisation and funding of dedicated intervention teams during severe crime surges.

The Results

In plain numbers, the results of these efforts speak for themselves. Although data from the early years is incomplete, some will recall a survey in 2006 revealing more than 40 incidents in a month! Since we have been keeping stats, the situation has improved from highs of 58 incidents in 2013 and 50 in 2017, to as few as 8 in 2020 and 12 last year (despite broader reporting networks and a significant lowering of the threshold for what gets reported as an incident), with marked reductions in completed crimes vs attempts.

CPNW has also played a key role in: Improving beach security, putting speed bumps on our roads, coordinating emergency responses to the 2015 fire, developing preparedness for future fires and civil emergencies, finding missing persons, identifying vulnerable individuals in the community, and providing essential assistance, as well as refurbishing a dilapidated city building that was becoming a crime hazard, and turning it into a thriving Community Centre.

These efforts, together with those of a host of Community Associations, brought together by the NRRA, have resulted in what is the remarkable transformation of this neighbourhood, into what can only be described as one of the most desirable places to live in this country. Our beaches have become cleaner, our roads safer and more attractive, with beautiful verges and walkways, tended by community members. We support a large equestrian community, a beautiful Common and a Nature Sanctuary, with local businesses not only thriving but providing a growing range of economic and leisure opportunities right on our doorstep. The fact that this has happened over a space of time when, both nationally, and globally, we have been witnessing a somewhat frightening decline, is testament not only to the power of community, but to what can be done when we focus our actions at the local level!

If ever there was a time in this country, when we need to redouble our efforts, and at least preserve, if not continue to grow, the wonderful atmosphere of this neighbourhood – it is right now!

But…  We need you!

Sadly though, the number of individuals driving such efforts (across all community groups) remains a tiny percentage of the entire community. We persevere, sometimes for decades on end, not simply because the idea of allowing this wonderful dream to go to rot is too awful to contemplate, but also because, by and large, this kind of collective effort brings out the best in so many of us, and it is always a special privilege to work with such people!

We all do get tired however, and attrition of leadership is a reality across the board in organisations. So we urgently need new blood and if ever there was a time in this country when we have needed to upgrade our preparedness for any number of crises, that time is now.

Nobody is asking you to suddenly take over a massive leadership role, simply to come more on board and share some of the tasks. We are asking you to step up and get more involved right now, the evidence that community involvement does work to make your daily life better, is all around you! So, if you are not prepared to look after your own community, why should anyone else??

Annual General Meeting

Please come to our AGM: 21 November 2022; Noordhoek Community Centre: 1830 for 1900.

Please consider joining our committee or one of our smaller, dedicated teams that focus on different aspects of our work!

Sincerely

Dr John Parker

CPNW Chairperson

CPNW NEWSLETTER – OCTOBER 2022

Date posted: October 7, 2022

Dear Neighbours

CPNW Committee: Appeal for Volunteers

Apologies for the long silence! Whilst individual tasks are relatively minor, the accumulated burdens of volunteer community work do accumulate over time to eventually become a little overwhelming. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that once someone has stepped up to fill a gap that ensures relative safety and comfort in our neighbourhood, as soon as the crisis passes, support tends to fade and those who have volunteered are left carrying the responsibility for what seems to be an indefinite period.

In this respect the CPNW Committee is gradually thinning out, with some members having served more than 10 years in these positions! Whilst we all acknowledge that this work is being done freely and without obligation and that a significant number of residents in our area do, at least, support community organisations, we do feel that it is time others did step up to offer at least some support at the Committee/Leadership level. This generally involves no more than a few hours per week but, as outlined in the past newsletter, has resulted in vast improvements in the living conditions of anyone living in our area over the last 20 years, from radically improved security to safer roads, clean beaches, preserved natural areas and community resources such as the Common and Community Centre.

To have achieved this, at this time in our country, when so many things are going in the other direction, is no small feat and something in which we can all take enormous pride! It will not continue however, unless we continue to see support in the form of individuals who are prepared to do just a little bit extra, in taking on some responsibility for coordinating and supporting all the good work that gets done. It can be intimidating to jump in on one’s own although I doubt we are a scary bunch) and the more, the merrier, so how about recruiting a friendly neighbour and the two of you make an offer to get involved.

Nobody is simply going to be saddled with huge responsibility, and we have structured most of what we do so that it can be done in spare time, we just need more help over the long run, if we are going to maintain our neighbourhood as it is, or ideally continue to improve it.

So please talk to your neighbours, friends, and family about what you could do to help, come along to our AGM, or to a committee meeting and show some interest! Nobody is going to be immediately saddled with huge responsibility, we just want to bring people in so that they can get the feel of things and work out what it would suit you to do!!

Incidents

In terms of incidents in our area, since our last newsletter on 25 May:

• A pig was stolen from Avondrust Farm on the night of 26 May. Although the farm does have cameras in place monitored by Deep Blue Security, we have established that on this night there was heavy ground mist that did not allow the cameras to function. The following night however, a second attempt was foiled when the cameras did raise the alarm and patrolling ensued.
• On the night of 27 May, a vehicle in Willow Street had its bonnet forcibly opened and the battery stolen.
• On 21 June Copper Piping was stolen from the Red Herring Centre.
• On 30 June a temporary fencing/gate system, that had been used by a construction company to protect its equipment (which the company since been removed) disappeared overnight.
• On 1 July a gate was stolen from Avondrust farm.
• In August the only incident we are aware of involved a case of fraud, where a booking was made at the Community Centre under false pretences, this was used to receive an order of plastic chairs from a hire company, which were promptly packed into a different vehicle and the perpetrators disappeared without a trace!
• We are not aware of any incidents in our area in September.

In surrounding areas, we noted a home invasion in De Goede Hoop Estate on 2 June, and distressingly, a murder in Belvedere in the first week of September. With regard to the latter, according to the Echo the victim’s body was found on the property and a suspect has been arrested.

Be Alert!

It is pleasing to note that actual break-ins and other more typical crimes affecting residential areas have declined significantly in our area, but we are seeing a broader range of quite bold crimes, involving property that would not ordinarily be stolen! So, we need to ask everyone to have a second look, or alert a vehicle, when suspicions are aroused regarding anything even slightly amiss, even though it may not look like a typical crime.

Camera Update

In terms of further security development, we have added another two cameras to the network, one with Licence Plate Recognition capacity and another overview cameras. Although to date most of what we have recorded relates to local nocturnal wildlife and local traffic, we were pleased to note that early this month, an individual walking around at 3;30am with a backpack, was very quickly identified and escorted out of the area by a patrol vehicle!

Meeting with the Mayor

We were pleased to welcome the City’s Mayor and team recently to a meeting with a range of community stakeholders hosted by the NRPA, which involved a series of very impressive presentations from the range of Community Organisations in our area, outlining the work being done. The mayor and his team were suitably impressed, and we are hopeful that this will lead to improved cooperation with the City and more sensitivity to locally relevant concerns. It is really exciting to see how the NRPA is growing in capacity, particularly in terms of strategic planning and the ability to work with local authorities. We would strongly encourage everyone to join at www.nrpa.org.za , if you have not already done so!

Radio Network and Emergency Preparedness

Whilst there is much to celebrate in terms of how our local neighbourhood has improved, perhaps quite the opposite is true for the country, which is indeed a major cause for concern. The one thing we can do, is continuing to focus our efforts on where we can have an effect, which is of course, as already mentioned, in our own communities. Although it is not helpful to raise anxiety levels excessively, this must also include improving our preparedness in the event of a major disaster, and particularly one related to social unrest.

Given the frailty of our electricity network, it is not unlikely that such an event will be associated with power outages, and quite possible the loss of cellular and internet connectivity. It is for this reason that we have been asked to review the capacity of our Radio Network and to participate in some planned emergency drills in future months.

We would thus like to say a big “Thank You” to the 46 people who responded to our request to notify us if they have a radio.  However, with 190 radios in Chapman’s Peak, this has necessitated the sending of multiple emails to check on others and send licence application forms out to those that we do not have the paperwork for.

Could those who have not responded to these requests, please let us know as soon as possible that you have a radio (please reply to this email!!) and if you have  received the licence application forms please fill them in and return them to us as soon as possible so we can put this task to bed?

We are always on the lookout for more radio coordinators to share the load! So if this is something you would like to help out with, please do let us know!!

CPNW AGM: Diarise NOW!

Finally, please do make a note of our AGM, which we plan to hold on 21 November 2022, at 1830 at the NCC. It will be great to see everyone’s faces again and we look forward to a nice braai afterwards in the newly refurbished braai area, so please make a plan to be there!!

Wishing everyone a safe month!

The CPNW Committee

CPNW NEWSLETTER – MAY 2022

Date posted: May 25, 2022

Dear Neighbours,

Home Invasion

We have unfortunately had another home invasion, since our last newsletter, this one taking place in a house above Mountain Road on 12 April at around 21h00. The victims, who were renting on holiday, were reportedly restrained using cable ties by five masked males, led by one bearing a firearm. The assailants took phones, a laptop and jewellery and left via the mountainside, with the alarm only being raised via SAPS after they had fled. By pure coincidence the escape vehicle was stopped at a SAPS roadblock in Hout Bay, where the driver was arrested, although the rest of the assailants managed to escape.

As happened with the last short bout of invasions and burglaries, also involving a vehicle from Hout Bay, we are hopeful that an arrest will deter, if at least in the immediate future, further incursions but vulnerability to this kind of crime remains a major concern.

Modus Operandi

From what we have been able to learn, invasions involving “Balaclava-gang” type groups in the Western Cape tend to involve a group of about 4-6 individuals of whom at least one has a firearm, who tend to target vulnerable homes next to greenbelt, and bushy areas, where they can be dropped off, and hide, before and after the incursion.

It seems that targets are selected over wide areas, with multiple different suburbs that are within vehicle range, hit by the same group. They seem able to penetrate fences and to manage dogs and tend to strike in earlier parts of the night, before many are asleep or have activated alarms, entering through open doors or taking advantage of someone opening a door, for example to let a dog out.

Defensive Strategy

Whilst we are making excellent progress in monitoring our boundaries in terms of vehicle access as well as access on foot from the beach and wetlands boundaries, limiting access from the Chapman’s Peak side presents an entirely new challenge.

This is a long boundary and much of it is unfenced, bushy and on uneven terrain, with numerous of short-term rental properties that are easy to access from both the road and the mountain. We are therefore going to have to give this area some focus, and we would encourage everyone living close to that boundary to start thinking about how we can start developing solutions to what seems to be a growing problem, whether these involve, for example cameras, fencing, motion-sensors or any measures that may be helpful.

Our experience at CPNW, would suggest that the most critical ingredient for any such initiative is communication – not only in getting everyone on board with a coordinated strategy, but also in terms of immediate support and safety in the event of any incident, as well as in the detection and deterrence of suspicious activity.

For this to happen we need to plea for your involvement, if you happen to live on or close to our Chapmans Peak Boundary and you are reading this newsletter!

Please make sure those around you on the boundary are connected to CPNW, as well as with one another, and are thinking and talking about how we can make that boundary safer, not only from criminal activity but also from fire.

If you’re not on a whatsapp Connector group, contact Lynne on +27 72 905 4676 to find out where your nearest one is, or to start a new one.  The Connector groups are a great way to make contact with your neighbours and to coordinate activities.

Start thinking about it yourselves, take a walk around and invite the neighbours. As a committee we will of course facilitate these processes, but our biggest strength in CPNW, depends on everyone’s involvement.

Cameras

Speaking of the other boundaries, we have been accumulating significant funds and were thus able to purchase a further 10 oversight cameras, that we are steadily placing at strategic spots that cover key access points into the area from the beach, wetlands and Main Road boundaries.

We have also finalised the installation of a new Licence Plate Recognition camera, covering the entrance to the Beach Parling Area, which is also covered by several oversight cameras. The installation and running of all of these cameras is highly dependent on the very good will of hosting homeowners, to whom we are all extremely grateful!

Mobile Panic Alarms

Another exciting community security project we have been looking at, which has massive potential, is the use of portable safety devices that have the capacity to act as geo-locating panic alarms. There have been a number of versions of these that we have heard about, in development, with the best offering satellite tracking in areas that are out of cell phone range and portable devices that can be concealed, as well as an app.

We are looking at a version that could potentially be developed across Noordhoek with signalling to patrollers as well as a coordination centre, like so many things however, it would however require a dedicated group of people to coordinate, as an initiative in our area.

Community Spirit – Volunteers Rock!

On the other hand, the continued improvement of Noordhoek over the last 20 years, as a great neighbourhood to live in, be in terms of litter-free beaches, boardwalks and parking lots, low crime rates, speed control on the roads, or a beautiful Common, has occurred entirely as a result of a tremendous community spirit.

This spirit is engendered by individuals who understand that these things only happen when we stand up and get involved – so the challenge goes out to a few more, to make this great opportunity for enhancing everyone’s safety whether they alone at home, or miles down the beach a reality!

Radios

Whilst we have not had much call to need our radios in a while, please do not forget them!! We do put out a call for the occasional radio-check on the WhatsApp Group but please do feel free to do the odd random check at a convenient time (9am-8pm).

Most importantly PLEASE remember to advise us if you are leaving and to either sell back your radio to us or let us arrange to have the Private Fish Hoek NW frequency de-programmed. This is a legal requirement and we most certainly would not like one of these radios to get into the wrong hands!!

Community Centre

The Community Centre continues to go from strength to strength, with a record number of bookings every month. This income generates funds for its upkeep and continued improvement, with the brain area about to have a makeover this month and which also further support our investment is security measures.  We are very grateful to everyone who has contributed to the Centre’s ongoing success! Our big hope is that in time all our communities will be able to bring together these evolving security technologies in the hub we also have available at the Centre!

NRPA AGM

In support of the continued development of our community and all its initiatives, please do diarise the NRPA AGM on Wednesday 8 June from 1800 to 2000 at Monkey Valley.

URGENT: Treasurer Needed for the NRPA

Rob Speedy is leaving the NRPA Exco after 8 years and we need a volunteer to step in to his shoes as Treasurer.

As with any organisation, finance management is key to the success of the NRPA.

The duties of the Treasurer are to manage the financial affairs of the NRPA:

• Make authorised payments as required by the Exco
• Record and allocate receipts
• Maintain a cash book of financial activity and reconcile monthly to the bank account
• Report back the Exco monthly on the financial position of the NRPA
• Prepare and present annual financial statements at the AGM
• See to it that the annual tax return is correctly submitted
• Administer the membership database
• Reconcile members and audit addresses and erf numbers
• Record payment status of members
• Invoice members for fees due
• Deal with member queries from time to time
• Oversee fundraising from time to time

It generally requires on average about 8 hours a month, sometimes a little more. It is critical to stay on top of the cash book monthly. Basic bookkeeping and Excel skills are needed, as well as attention to detail.

Please reach out to chairman@nrpa.org.za if you are able to help with this position or know of someone that we can approach.

Wishing you all a safe and warm winter!

CPNW NEWSLETTER – APRIL 2022

Date posted: April 11, 2022

Dear Neighbours

Crime Update

We have, thankfully, had a few quiet few weeks, since what, for its brazen nature, was a rather concerning break-in attempt on 8 March. The incident, which took place in Sleepy Hollow Avenue at around 5am, began when an occupant in the house was disturbed by someone who turned out to be trying to break into the front door with a crowbar. On opening the door, a confrontation ensued, with the burglar fleeing with a cell phone, but also having dropped his own phone, which was handed to SAPS. It was also reported that a vehicle was heard starting up and driving off, shortly after the perpetrator was seen fleeing.

Although our camera systems did identify a vehicle in the area at a related time, it turned out to be one that is well known and has previously been verified as having legitimate business in the area at that hour. We have not, to date been notified of any further progress on this case by SAPS.

We are relieved that nobody was seriously hurt, and we would emphasise the usefulness of having panic buttons and handheld radios available for just this kind of occasion. As mentioned, we have not had any further similar reports since that incident, so we are hopeful that it was a once-off!

We have however, recently received reports of cable-theft from Avondrust Farm. This seems to have happened after security cameras were down and is being investigated.

CPNW Funding

We would like to thank all of those who have recently made an annual R360 donation into our bank account, as well as to those who continue to donate R30 on a monthly basis.  These donations have enabled us to put an expensive far-reaching camera with night vision capabilities on our southern boundary, a licence plate recognition camera to cover the beach car park, and cameras at the southern end of Protea Street to cover the open area from the sand dunes into Birch Road as well as some of the sand dunes to the west (beach) side.

So, thank you to all who continue to support us in our efforts to keep Chapman’s Peak as safe as possible.  It takes a Community to do this!

K9 Kandidates

(Apologies – that’s the editor’s insertion :-))

We are also pleased to note that we have two new recruits, Craig Botha and Sean Asher, to our K9 team with candidate dogs ready to start their tuition. We are very grateful to Ollie Wright and the amazing Charlee, under whose leadership a groups of dog training enthusiasts keep dog-tracking capability available in our community!

This has, over the years proven itself as a great asset, not only in tracking criminals but also in other emergencies such as finding missing persons.

Community Centre

The Community Centre continues to go from strength to strength and latest activities on the menu are: Beginner adult modern/contemporary dance classes (no partner required) on Tuesdays from 1700-1800, and on Wednesdays from 1630 to 1800h.  A Pilates class is also in the offing, if there is enough interest, on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening. For details about these classes, please contact Les-Lee on 072 077 1248.

Holidays and Visitors

Lastly, with lockdowns hopefully a thing of the past, many of us will be taking advantage of opportunities to get away from home there will no doubt also be an influx of visitors to our area. After such a long period of relative insularity we can expect that we may have, quite naturally become somewhat complacent, about security in the area. So please be careful to ensure that alarms are working, to take care at the beach and to warn visitors of the dangers and of course to alert your neighbours and Security Companies, when you are going to be away.

Wishing everyone good holidays and some lovely autumn months!

The CPNW Team.

CPNW NEWSLETTER – FEBRUARY 2022

Date posted: February 21, 2022

Dear Neighbours,

Beach Mugging Alert

Sadly we must once again warn everyone to be particularly careful about the more remote areas of the beach, with another report of a mugging, which took place on 7 Feb. The victim, a female, who was running alone, was accosted and stabbed in the arm by two male assailants, about 2,5km towards Kommetjie, from the Noordhoek end.

Unfortunately, we continue to receive news of such attacks on an intermittent basis every few months or so and we must repeat our warning regarding the risks of being in remote parts of the beach alone and particularly whilst in possession of valuables, however tempting it may be!

We are grateful for the immediate reporting and very honest warnings to others from the victim, and we wish her a speedy recovery. As there are many beachgoers from outside of the area, who do not seem to be aware of the dangers, please do draw the attention of visitors to the signage displayed warning about Beach Crime.

Crime Incidents

The only crime within the area that we are aware of this month has been the theft of brass House Numbers from outside of properties. This seems to be taking place is association with “bin picking” activity and we once again repeat our request that people refrain from putting bins out the night before.

This encourages activity in the area during hours of darkness, whilst providing a convenient cover for those interested in more nefarious activities, who can then quickly hide in the shadows when a patrol vehicle is heard approaching.

If this has occurred in your street, and you have (private) surveillance cameras looking onto the street, please do check if there is any footage (as we are doing with CPNW Cameras) to assist in identifying the likely perpetrators. Please do report these and even the most minor incidents of concern as keeping the lid on relatively petty crime does seem critical in preventing the more serious stuff.

Radios

Regarding the “more serious stuff”, it was good to hear all the radio activity after the home invasions at the end of last year but we hard very little response to a call for radio checks a few weeks ago.

We would like to encourage everyone to do a check at least once per month. We will be announcing a time when a radio controller is available for this on a regular basis, but we also encourage radio users to check in with one another on the network, at a convenient time.

Fire Season

With fire season at its height, we appreciate efforts by various groups to get alien plants cleared from vulnerable areas and we would encourage everyone to check their own properties for hazards.

We also note concerns about homeless persons who take up residence in the bush near the beach, and tend to light cooking fires which, of course add to the risk. Please do report any such activity (as well as concerns about beach safety) directly to SANParks at: 086110 6417.

NEAG AGM

Finally, we would like to encourage everyone to come to the Noordhoek Environmental Action Group (NEAG) AGM, at the Community Centre, on Tuesday evening, 22 February at 6 for 630pm.

It is thanks to community organisations such as NEAG and the NRPA that we have such a lovely neighbourhood, with spotless beaches and beautifully cared-for areas such as the Common!

As CPNW, we believe that having an involved and active community is key to both the great quality of life we appreciate in our area and particularly to our safety and security, with the existence of vibrant organisations such as NEAG an essential ingredient, so please give them your support.

Wishing everyone a safe month!

The CPNW Team

WARNING: BEACH MUGGING

Date posted: February 8, 2022

CPNW NEWSLETTER – JANUARY 2022

Date posted: January 23, 2022

Dear Neighbours,

Incidents Update

Thankfully, after the rather frightening Home Invasion and burglaries in December, things have been relatively quiet, with two possible incidents we are aware of. The first involved four men who were spotted trespassing at Monkey Valley on the night of 6 January. They reportedly fled the scene when they realised they had been spotted and no further incidents were reported.

The second was a report of a possible intruder in Protea Avenue of 24 December, although no thefts seem to have taken place.

Connector Groups and Radios

We are very grateful to everyone who responded to our alerts by connecting with neighbours through the connector groups and by checking in on the radio network.

We note from the uptick in requests for batteries and other radio assistance that more than a few neighbourhood radios have been gathering dust in bottom drawers, which is a wonderful tribute to how quiet the last few years have been crime wise, but it was good to see how quickly we were able get a healthy network back up and running.

It was also especially good to hear users responding to one-another’s radio checks, without necessarily waiting for a radio coordinator to respond. Whilst, in an active incident situation, It is critical to have centralised coordination, to respect radio silence and to take direction from a Radio Coordinator, the reality is that, as a volunteer group we cannot always guarantee that a coordinator would immediately be available, so the more we all develop the capacity to interact on the radios to do checks and if necessary, in an emergency, to “hold the fort” until a coordinator come online, the better!

Radio Checks

We would encourage everyone with radios, to do a radio check in on a monthly basis, ideally between 7 and 9pm. It is very reassuring, especially if one is home alone, to hear that there is a network of people listening out if you need help!

Radio Recap

A quick recap on the radio network:

The dedicated CPNW Channel is Channel 8. We advise members to sleep with their radios switched on and dialled to Channel 8, on but with chargers off between 2100 and 7am and to maintain silence during these hours unless it is for an emergency, or a high level of concern regarding suspicious activity.

For a less urgent matter but where something raises your concerns and you would like it checked out (strange noises, dogs barking unexpectedly etc) the Security Company Patrol Officers can be contacted directly on Channel 13 – the radio coordinators will generally also pick up these communications so this is also being monitored by our team.

We do not advise using the WhatsApp groups for emergency matters. If you are not already a member of our network and you would like to get a radio and join up, please go onto our website (www.cpnw.org.za) and click on the tab!

Street Cameras

In further security developments we have installed further street cameras in Protea Avenue and are busy with a licence plate recognition camera overlooking the entrance to the Beach Parking entrance.

This is a strategy we will continue to pursue actively with an ultimate goal of being able to monitor our entire area with cameras, which we think will be key to future security. On that note, we thank those (members who do not make contributions via their security company) who have already submitted a once-off yearly payment of R360, every cent we raise improves safety and security in our neighbourhood!

Street Patrols

We are grateful to everyone who helped out with patrolling on Thursday evenings and Friday mornings! It was very reassuring to know that our Response Team members are ready and so willing to help at short notice! During our patrols we engaged with a number of individuals who were involved in sorting through refuse, most of whom were quite convincing as being legitimately involved in this activity.

We try to encourage them to work carefully without making a mess and to inform us of anyone they see in the area who they do not recognise as legitimately there to sort through rubbish. We are concerned however, at the high numbers of residents who still put their bins out on Thursday evenings, as this encourages people to come in throughout the night, which is obviously problematic, not only in terms of providing cover for criminals but also because it tends to disturb dogs in the neighbourhood and on windy nights, results in rubbish being spread all over the place!

As far as we are aware, there is no collection taking place before 7am, so little need for the rubbish to be out all night. (We realise of course that we are generally speaking to the converted here, so where one does see this occurring, a quite word or a note stating simply: “To reduce night-time activity and the associated crime risk, Chapmans Peak Neighbourhood Watch respectfully asks that you refrain from leaving your rubbish out overnight. Thank you!”

As mentioned previously, we realise the issue of how to deal with “bin-pickers” and the associated crime issue is fraught with controversy. We believe, however, that with the right energy and focus, members of our community could quite easily find solutions that involve supporting recycling activities whilst addressing the associated problems and ideally enabling “bin pickers” to see themselves as part of our community, with an investment is supporting us as residents in keeping our area clean and safe.

As a community, we have in Noordhoek, put together a range of creative initiatives that have seen huge improvements in our area but this only happens when people are willing to step forward and take on a challenge! Please let us know if you would be interested and we will give you all our support!!

No doubt everyone is suffering in the heat at the moment. Please do note that this does come with an increased fire hazard (particularly when the wind picks up just after everything have been dried out), so please be extremely vigilant and, in the cooler hours, think about:

• Emptying gutters of potentially flammable pile of leaves
• Cutting back branches that could spread flames onto your house.
• Check that your local hydrant is accessible and in a functional state
• Clearing away piles of dried-out vegetation
• Ensuring any fire extinguishers or other fire-fighting equipment is available and in working order
• Make sure you have emergency numbers available (check out the website)

Community Centre

Finally, thank you to everyone who is making such good use of the Community Centre!

This is now becoming a significant way of raising funds for security measures as well as form making continuous improvements to this lovely community resource. For Bridge enthusiasts, the Bridge Club will be running again on Fridays between 11:30 and 12:30. If anyone would like to join in, please contact Karen at: karenmacintyre05@gmail.com .

Wishing everyone a safe February!!

The CPNW Committee

CPNW NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2021

Date posted: December 20, 2021

Dear Neighbours,

Crime Incidents

Almost immediately after our last communication, we experienced, on 10 December, two further events in the area. Fortunately, in both cases, individuals were apprehended, which gives us some idea of what is going on, if not any security in terms of expecting further incidents.

Karma Strikes

In the first incident, a contractor working at a house in the area noticed a person acting suspiciously and claiming to be a “bin-picker”. After the man requested a lift out of the area, the contractor noticed that he had a number of the contractor’s tools in his bag and handed him over to a patrol officer.

It emerged that this was a person with a long criminal history, who appears to have been taking advantage of bin collection days, to move around in the area looking for opportunities to steal.

It is unlikely that the individual apprehended was operating alone and whist we do recognise that most people who sort through our rubbish on Thursday mornings may not have criminal intent, we must take note that this activity does provide cover for others with nefarious intentions.

We have thus asked the patrol officers to take careful note of anyone coming into the area, claiming to be here to sort through the rubbish, and to investigate where suspicion is aroused. In addition members of CPRT patrolled the area in the early hours of Friday 17/12 and further patrols will be taking place.

Refuse Bins and Bin-pickers

Although there may be some strength to the argument that the wheelie bins are private property, we nevertheless cannot legally prevent people from coming into the area and the morality of such a move is complex, to say the least. There are however, key steps we could all be taking to try and minimise the extent of this problem:

• Please DO NOT put bins out the night before, if at all possible. Not only does this result in the spreading of rubbish on windy nights but it also attracts people into the area throughout the night, which obviously increases risk.
• Please engage with anyone picking through the rubbish, establish that they are genuinely here to sort through garbage, ask them to keep it tidy and to report anyone suspicious to patrol officers.
• Report anyone suspicious to the patrol vehicles and ask them to investigate.
• Be extra careful, on bin collection days, about household security measures.
• Please do not use bin day as an easy opportunity for charity. There are many more constructive ways of donating unwanted goods that do not place the area at increased risk of crime!

We are aware that this is a sensitive topic and that many have reasonable concerns and compassion for those who have little choice but to sort through our rubbish for their survival. e We would therefore like to challenge one or more members of our community to take this up as a cause and to develop a plan of action that addresses both the needs of those coming into the area legitimately and the crime risk this represents!

Burglary – Arrest – Goods Recovered

In the second incident, a house in Village Lane was broken into between 8 and (in the evening) whilst occupants were in adjoining rooms unaware of the intrusion. A bicycle, laptop and other items were stolen but a suspect was later apprehended in Hout Bay with the goods, which were recovered.

The timing, modus and location of the incident does suggest this may be from the same group involved in the house invasions and we have received unverified information to suggest that this may be the work of a gang from Hout Bay that was previously involved in home invasions.

Of particular concern is that this gang would previously target a certain area repeatedly if initially successful. They tend to strike in the mid-to-late evening when residents are gathered together, do not necessarily have alarms on and are gathered in central parts of the house.

Precautions

Please consider the following:

• If possible, arming external passives alarm monitors in the early evening.
• Although it is tempting to keep everything wide open on a warm summer’s evening, it may be wiser to lock up and retreat inside earlier than usual.
• Activation of alarms or panic buttons seems to be a key defence which prompts the invaders to leave within a short space of time. So please be sure everyone in the household knows how to trigger panic alarms and is primed to do so in an emergency. Distribution of remote alarm triggers amongst household members in the evening, may also be key.
• Turn on radios (and do the odd radio check) early in the evening rather than at bed-time.
• Please report any concerns, it is no problem to ask the patrol vehicle to do a round in your area.
• Stay in touch with neighbours.
• Be on the lookout for a vehicle loaded with passengers coming in from Hout Bay, or parked anywhere on Main Rd or Chapmans Peak in the early evening and report anything suspicious!

Please let neighbours know when you are going to be away and please also alert any visitors to the area about the existing crime concerns (including the beach!).

We have activated our radio networks and response teams and have been talking to SAPS and the Security Companies, so we are hopeful that we will be able to keep further crime at bay!

Wishing everyone a safe Festive Season!

The CPNW Committee